‘Ordinary people pay their taxes because they have no choice. Billion-dollar corporations should not operate under a different rulebook’

THE wealth gap in Britain is glaring, and nowhere is it more visible than in the crumbling state of council housing juxtaposed against the towering profits of corporations like Amazon.

The idea of taxing these behemoths to fund vital repairs isn’t just fair – it is necessary.

Campaigners took a petition to Downing Street his week signed by more than 111,000 people demanding action from the Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Council housing is the lifeline for millions of people, yet decades of under­-invest­ment have left it decaying.

Thousands of tenants are living in damp homes, children grow up in mould-infested bedrooms, and vulnerable people endure unsafe conditions that undermine their dignity and health.

Meanwhile, Amazon’s 2023 profits reportedly soared to billions. Christmas will see the orders ring every second.

A moral society must ask: why are struggling communities footing the bill for austerity while corporations evade a fair share?

Critics argue that taxing giants like Amazon would deter investment or harm the economy. But these companies thrive on the very infrastructure – roads, broadband, education – that public money sustains.

Taxing the super-profitable is not anti-business.

It’s about making business sustainable for everyone, including the taxpayers who provide the societal foundation on which these companies rely.

After all, these are people who staff Amazon’s warehouses and deliver its packages.

A well-structured tax on mega-corporations, tied directly to local councils for housing repairs, could transform lives.

The funds could insulate homes against rising energy costs, replace dangerous cladding, and ensure that every council tenant lives in a place that feels like a home, not a hazard.

The ripple effects would be profound: better health, more kids in school, and a renewed sense of community pride.

Ordinary people pay their taxes because they have no choice. Billion-dollar corporations should not operate under a different rulebook.

By linking a portion of corporate taxes directly to public welfare projects, we can rebuild the social contract that has frayed in recent years.

The question is not whether firms like Amazon can afford it. Taxing corporate giants to repair the homes of the nation’s most vulnerable is not a radical policy.

The Labour Party insists its main aim is building a fairer society. Well that begins with recognising that the wealth of the few must contribute to the wellbeing of the many.

Labour also talks about having to make tough decisions, but some of the easiest decisions only look tough on the surface.

They could start right now with getting on the phone to Jeff Bezos.